[Vakerue]

After implementing sleep restriction, I made a lot of progress in improving my sleep… for a little while.

But after several days of relatively successful sleep (and maybe getting a little complacent about managing my stress?), it stopped working. Now I’m back to my old patterns: whenever I get into bed, I feel my anxiety levels instantly start to rise. I’m too tired by this point to think rationally, so there’s nothing I can do to stop the cascade, until I have to get out of bed in a panic. I waste hours getting in and out of bed over and over before I can finally sleep a little.

I already have a fairly restrictive sleep window, and I know I am sleepy enough for sleep, because before I get into bed, I’m struggling to stay awake, and occasionally nod off on the couch by accident. But as soon as I hit the bed, everything reverses itself.

It feels like my bed is a trigger for stress rather than a trigger for sleep as it’s supposed to be. I’ve been thinking of going to bed a little early, to have a wind-down period where I can sit up and read or do some relaxation exercises, so that the act of getting into bed isn’t such a shock to my system. But that’s technically against the rules! Has anyone successfully tried anything similar, or are there any other good strategies to help me actually stay calm once I’m in bed? After several months of dutifully getting out of bed whenever I can’t sleep, I don’t feel like that’s doing enough to help.

[Histiocytosis]

Hang in there..I am fighting this monster also. No sleep at all and was using washroom a dozen times as I was so upset and irked. Misery does enjoy company.

[rbdaves]

when I am trying to get to sleep I use this process: I start by spelling a word, any word. Then I take the last letter of that word and find another word that starts with that letter. I continue this process and, often, go to sleep.

[Vakerue]

I actually use a similar technique to help myself sleep! I usually think of a topic and then think of a word for that topic starting with every letter of the alphabet (like the game Scattergories!). Yours sounds like a good one to try if I get bored with my version.

Only problem is that I can’t concentrate on words when I’m too panicked or too exhausted, so sometimes it fails.

[Martin Reed]

Ups and downs can feel frustrating, but they are normal! You might find it helpful to explore why nighttime wakefulness seems to generate so much anxiety and panic. What’s the disaster or catastrophe that seems certain to occur if you don’t fall asleep, and how often has that disaster or catastrophe occurred in the past?

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[Manfred]

Same here folks. Often anxiety is overwhelming. It is as if I forget all the things I try to learn in order not to engage with my anxiety or anxious thoughts. I cannot think rationally and my fears cascade.

[Dlkjmbf]

I just came onto the forum to post my question…and saw that you already posted it for me! Your story is exactly my story!! I’ve been trying to stay up later to shorten the time I’m in bed. Last night I listened to some sleep affirmations and was nodding off. Could NOT stay awake. Climbed in bed and boom! Heart racing, anxiety shooting up and the it spiraled out of control. Full on panic and struggling (getting in/out of bed) for at least 3 hours until I finally slept for maybe 3-4 hours for the 4th day in a row. Now I’m already dreading this evening. I too have tried reading in bed the last few nights, even though you aren’t supposed to – hoping I can make it a positive place. No luck so far. Im more scared of the anxiety/panic at this point than the lack of sleep. I’m sorry I don’t have advice. Just wanted you to know you are not alone. So many people just don’t get the struggle. I get you! Good luck. Thanks for sharing your story.

[Vakerue]

Hey y’all – quick update! In the past few nights, I’ve found a couple of things helpful:

1) I took Martin’s advice up there (thanks for weighing in!), and thought hard about what I was really so anxious about. The worst-case scenario that I can imagine is highly unlikely (and still survivable), and the most likely scenario (which in my case is getting a couple of hours of sleep) is not so bad that I really need to panic about it. I try to keep telling myself that.

2) When I get into bed, I don’t immediately lie down or try to sleep. I just sit up vertically with the lights off and take the time to think whatever I feel like thinking until I start to nod off again. Then I give myself permission to lie down. Or maybe just slouch a little and get a tiny bit closer to lying down. Baby steps! When I finally do lie down, the anxiety does still come back, but it is less intense.

3) I recently heard some advice about anxiety in general. Anxiety feels a lot like excitement. So when you start to feel your heart race or whatever, instead of worrying, just say “I am excited!” I use this technique when I’m starting to stress about sleep. I tell myself I’m excited about sleeping (I mean, really, don’t you just love sleep more than pretty much anything else in the world? I am so overjoyed every time I sleep at night). This helps me reframe my feelings as something positive.

I’ve only been at it two nights, but in those two nights, I was able to fall asleep without having to get out of bed once!

[Author]

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